Operation Nightfall
by bobdabuilder0804
Summary: COMPLETE! My version of what happened during Operation Nightfall. 3 original chapters have been edited this is finally being continued! Please R and R! COMPLETE
1. Default Chapter

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Editing this and going to try and complete it FINALLY!

Note - takes nothing about Saunders or the 'Subcommittee's Findings' book into context :D

Also… Walsh is in it. Always wondered why Jack claimed he owed his life to him, so I thought it could have been this mission!

First three parts were written two years ago, I tried to tidy them up but they may still be naff!

The cabin wasn't very large, although it fit the six men relatively well, they weren't too cramped. They were stationed in a rackety old hut, in the middle of rough terrain which was densely populated with trees. Bosnia was not the safest place to be during this time of conflict and chaos. In fact, it was one of the most dangerous places to be if you were an American soldier on an illegal, covert operation. However, this didn't cloud the men's vision too much, they knew why they were stuck in a shack in hostile territory, stewing under the suns unbearable heat. They were here to end Victor Drazens wrath. They were here to put an end to the chaos, and bring order.

The hut consisted of two rooms, a sitting area and a sleeping area, where they had stored their equipment on the dirt floor. That was all they needed, they weren't planning on extending their stay, if everything went to plan they would be in safe passage back to their homeland in under 24 hours, which is what they intended to do.

Their position was well hidden, deep inside the jungle like woods. This was an advantage as it kept them well hidden from the enemies glare whilst they prepared for the attack. However, every advantage can be turned into a disadvantage, and this was no different. Because there position was so well hidden, they would have a two mile trek through a rough and unfamiliar terrain, when they conducted their attack. However, this was the least of their worries for they were all fit and strong, well trained soldiers. Their only real concern was the enemy they were facing.

Victor Drazen was a man feared by many. He had slowly gained power and support over the years, and now he was one of the most powerful men in Bosnia. Drazen was in control of the constant conflict in Bosnia. He didn't try to prevent it, he encouraged it; because he profited heavily during the process. Whether it was in money, more supporters, or simply more weapons, it didn't matter; it all contributed to his power and kept him in control, which is why Operation Nightfall had been put into action.

Four of the six soldiers were sat on the dry dirt floor of the hut, the other two men out on watch. They weren't expecting to be spotted, but if they were, they would be ready. One man sat in front of a laptop, a thoughtful look consumed his features as he studied the screen. The other three men watched in an enveloped silence was they awaited his decision. The man ran a hand through his dirty blond hair as he thought. He was dressed in black combat standards, as were the others. He removed his hand from his hair and rubbed at the sweat that had formed at the back of his neck, a result of the suns intense heat.

"Okay." He said in a deep gravely voice. "I think this is the best place to position the device." He tapped at the keyboard a few more times before spinning the computer round so the other men could see the screen. On it were the schematics to Drazens compound, and a certain area had been highlighted.

The three men studied the image carefully and the man spoke again. "If we place it on the rear it will destroy the structure and the building will collapse. If the son of a bitch is lucky enough to escape the blast he will be crushed. Either way, he will die."

One of the men, Mark Fall spoke up, "Don't worry Jack, the amount of C-4 me and Chris are stocking into this baby, there's not a chance in hell anyone relatively near the building will survive, never mind those inside."

Jack smiled to himself as he listened to Mark. He had known him since he was first recruited to CTU, he had been a lower level field agent, but left to become an explosives expert. He was still as confident as ever, Jack thought to himself.

Thinking the conversation was over Michael pulled his huge frame off the ground and dusted himself off. He was a big man and he had to lean over so his head didn't hit the roof. "There's nothing wrong with being safe is there?" His deep voice asked Mark, with a hint of humour.

Mark shrugged and pointed back to the image on the screen again.

"Chris can attach the device there, we can strap it on. It will give the explosives more room to spread." He explained.

"Good," was all Jack said, before Web, who had been quiet through the discussion spoke up, directly to Jack.

"It's 7. Were up." Jack checked his watch to verify the time, and as though on signal, Chris and Scott entered the room. The men began to greet them and ask how the watch went.

"Man theirs not a soul in sight, those fus are gonna get the shock of their life when they realise we've been here! You might want to take a crossword with you Jack!" He laughed and patted Jack on the arm as he passed him.

All of the six men were, or had been soldiers at some point, and they all had their ranks. However, throughout the waiting period they functioned on a name to name basis. They all knew each other well and were more comfortable without the formalities. However, once they were out in the field they would function the standard way. It was how it always went. One minute friends, the next, military colleagues.

Their six man team was to be lead by Captain Jack Bauer. His second in command was Web, a lean man with shortly shaved blonde hair. He and Jack were close as they had been partners together in the L.A.P.D. before they went their separate ways in what seemed like a lifetime ago.

Two of the other soldiers were marines, Scott Base and Michael Hay. Michael was a big man who intimidated most people by his size alone. This was a contrast to Scott, who was relatively small. Jack liked standing with Scott as it made him look taller, but nobody knew of this. Despite his size Scot was a powerful man and what he lacked in size he certainly gained in speed. The remaining two men, Mark Fall and Chris South were experts in explosives with military background, a vital part of the team.

All the men were trained through different breaches of the military, although Jack was the only man with a history of special forces and Delta, which is how he had attained the role of the leader of the mission. It was he who had hand picked his present company, and with all of their capabilities together, he was positive they would not fail.


	2. Chapter 2

Jack headed out of the hut with Web. Jack looked around once he was outside and asked,

"Should we go separate and cover two positions or stay together?"

"We might as well stay together, were up for four hours it's going to be dull, there's not going to be any activity."

"Yeah." Jack muttered, his attention being paid to the surrounding area rather than his friend.

They headed to their watch spot in a slow but determined pace. The ground was solid mud and had formed in large clumps here and there, making the land uneven and hard to walk over. They passed some trees, Jack wasn't exactly sure which type they were, but he did notice just how many different types surrounded them, clumped together they would be obstacles in their way when they set out later tonight.

Jack sat down onto the ground with his back against a large tree. He didn't mind sitting on the mud, but it appeared Web did, he seemed determined to find a clump of the sparse yellow grass that was large enough for him to take a seat on. Jack watched this with a slight amused look on his face, as his friend pottered around the area nearby.

Web finally sat down satisfied he would stay clean. The two man were sat a few feet apart, both looking out on different directions of the surrounding land, and both being able to see different angles of the rickety hut. If anyone approached them, they would see.

The two sat in a continued silence, watching their surroundings intently, even if they were sure the hut would remain undisturbed. After a few minutes it was clear to Jack they would not be seeing anyone soon. He stretched his legs out and sat with his Sig. resting on his lap but still held in his hand, just in case. As he looked on out into the trees he noticed that, despite just how many trees there were, the light was still easily finding its way through the thick branches to shine down upon them. He looked up but couldn't see the path the sun was using to get through, and so pondered this issue for some time. He had also noticed how there were no animals in sight, and assumed it had been a long time since the rain last poured over this area.

"You okay?" Web asked, hoping to strike a conversation with Jack, although he knew it wasn't going to happen. When Jack was doing something he gave it his full, undivided attention, despite how pointless the task was.

"Yeah" he replied blankly. Web sighed and looked around at the surrounding landscape, hoping to find something to keep his attention for the duration of the watch. He had never been any good in stakeouts, he needed movement, activity, he needed to be occupied. Bored, Web tried again, to start a conversation with Jack. He decided to focus it on their mission, maybe that would get a portion of Jack's attention, he thought.

"How do you think it will go down?" He asked, quietly.

"As planned." Jack replied, giving Web a glance of annoyance; it wasn't good to think negatively about an upcoming mission, it increased failure rates.

If a man goes into battle thinking of his possibility of death, he is more likely to die. He looked to Web and saw an uncertain look across his face; he was having second thoughts, he could tell. He had known Web a long time, long enough to know when something was worrying him.

"It will be simple." He stated, before continuing, hoping to reassure his friend. "We get to the base, secure our position, detonate the explosives, reach the extraction point. Then we're home free. Its a simple mission, Web, I'm confident it will go like clockwork." He paused, and offered his friend a weak attempt at a smile, "Don't worry about it. If we all focus on the task, it will be successful, and we will be back home in no time at all."

Web smiled at Jack's response. He had told himself he was simply striking conversation, but deep down he knew he was conveying his fears to Jack in the hope of reassurance, which he had given him.

"Good," he said, already feeling more confident about what they were about to encounter.

He fell silent again and let his mind wander, back to the dark spaces of uncertainty.

"Jack... If something should happen...-"

Before he could continue Jack snapped, "Nothing is going to happen!"

"But if is does..." He replied, fear and anger evident in his voice. "Look, its James' birthday in 3 days. I... I promised Helen I'd come back to see him turn 5... If I don't..." He stopped as he began to choke up, angry at himself for telling Jack his fears and showing his emotions to him.

"I know... don't worry about it." Jack said, hoping to comfort him, not understanding why Web was so concerned.

Seeing the tears well up in Web's eyes, Jack tried to change the subject, to make Web and now himself feel better about the whole situation.

"The land here is as dry as the desert, when do you think it last rained?" Jack mentally kicked himself, they were stuck in Bosnia on a covert mission, and the only conversation he could come up with was about the weather. A small smile crept over his face as Web broke out into laughter.

"Your still awful at changing the subject you know, there is such a thing as subtlety..."

The two started to laugh at this. "No harm in trying."

Web looked up and nodded as the smile drifted from his face. He told himself it was only natural to feel nervous when you were performing an action of this magnitude, but he wasn't convinced. He wondered what was going through Jacks mind as he surveyed the area, his face expressionless once more.


	3. Chapter 3

Jack and Web had returned from the uneventful watch just under an hour ago. Now all six men were huddled in a circle in the small hut, quietly going over the mission one last time. Details had already been memorised but Jack liked to do a final check, just like one would do of an equipment pack; Jack didn't see this as being any different.

They had ended the watch sessions, they were too secluded to be seen, especially since the sun had set, enveloping them in darkness. They double checked the radio frequencies as they began to prepare, fast and quietly. They were all slightly nervous about what they were about to do, but knew that once they got out their and did it, they would feel the familiar rush, as they adrenalin would thrash through their veins with the enjoyable buzz in the pit of their stomachs.

Chris and Mark would be carrying the explosives with the timing devices. They would have preferred to use a hand trigger device, but their kind were very specific, and if something should go wrong, the government did not want the equipment to lead back to the U.S., so they would have to use a second priority device. Still, they were positive it would work just fine, taking out the entire compound as planned.

Each man checked his custom built radio, similar to the device Russia and Germany were known for using. It was a simple two frequency device, on the first channel the men were able to communicate with one another, and on the second, the men in the choppers were able to contact them and listen in. The two choppers which would pick them up contained only a medical team and Richard Walsh, a key player in the organisation of the operation. The radios allowed the team to contact him if something were to go unplanned.

They organisers of the mission had gone to great measures to make sure the equipment couldn't be linked directly back to the U.S. They were using minimum, for starters, and all weapons and ammunition had has the serial numbers scratched away. The night vision goggles had been shipped in from England, another red herring. The body armour could be found anywhere.

Nobody suspected the mission would get to a point where men or equipment could be captured; it was all precaution work. Once they were ready to go they did a quick service check of the equipment. Each man had night vision goggles strapped onto their heads, it was pitch black outside, and with the terrain, they were instrumental to the success of the mission. Ear pieces and radios were all in place. After the quick check the men set off into the darkness.

The moved in single file, Jack in the lead. The movement was slow, as it was a hard journey. They climbed over broken trees, brush, mounds of mud trying not to trip over tree roots or stray branches. The brush got thicker and thicker as they moved onwards, the trees closing in on them, grabbing out at their clothes as they climbed on, whipping at their arms and legs.

Suddenly rain began to fall. It came down heavily, and as it did so, the loud rumbling sound of thunder got louder. The men looked at each other uncertain, but continued onwards.

Jack tried to push the thoughts of the rain out of his head, it was just a coincidence. Hours before he had spoken to Web about how it had probably been months since rain last fell. Now here they were, and a storm was brewing.

The journey became much more difficult due to the harsh rain that lashed down on them. It made the land marshy and slippery, making the men stumble every so often. It also dimmed and blurred the view through the night vision goggles; but they were blind without them.

Still, they continued forward; until they finally reached their first checkpoint, where they would split up to survey and secure the area. Each man checked his ear-piece before they silently split up into separate directions, each person knowing exactly where they were supposed to be. Jack silently headed to the West of the area, and could just make out the compound through the rain. He could see the old stone structure, and the fencing surrounding it. He moved slowly, his eyes searching for anything, the rain was drowning any sounds out.

It took him twenty minutes to complete a search of his section, finding nothing at all. Not a shred of security; Drazen was over confident about his reputation. He flicked the radio onto frequency one and spoke. "This is Bauer, area 1 clear." With that he crouched down against a large tree bark, his weapon steady in both hands as he patiently listened to each man radio in.

"This is Bauer we are good to go."


	4. Chapter 4

Jack crept through the brush slowly, moving to the South East checkpoint they had arranged. He wiped at the front of the goggles to try and make the image clearer but it blurred his view.

"Damn it," he whispered quietly to himself, his arms now outstretched before him as he untangled himself from the brush and made his way towards to front of the compound, slipping as the land began to slope some.

He saw Web and couldn't help but let a smile touch his lips, things were going fine so far. Seconds later Michael radioed him, he and Scott were in place. They waited silently in the rain huddled together in the brush; knowing it would take Chris and Mark longer to radio in; they had to get into the actual compound and then strap the explosives to the beam which had been highlighted as being central to the structure of the bunker and building attached.

He knew they would perform a check of the device once in place, before setting the timer; giving them enough time to escape from the detonation area. Three different packages would be placed near the primary device; the explosion would be huge.

The earpieces crackled and Jack held a finger to his free ear, hoping to drown out the now howling winds.

"Teams this is Chris."

"Copy that," Jack said.

"We got the device and 3 loads in place… but… there's something going on."

"What?" Michael snapped.

"We got a hostile on us. Mark took him out but something was wrong."

"Get to the point," Web snapped, the more communications they made the more vulnerable they would be.

"I don't know. He looked too comfortable, like he was expecting us. But then he saw the device and panicked. Jack… he was really scared, but he didn't even try and radio any of his team, and he was definitely Drazens security."

"Shit," Web muttered, what did this mean?

Jack ran a hand over his soaked hair as he frowned. Was it coincidence, a badly trained man, or a rookie?

"Set the charges and get out of there. We will leave on your signal, meet at the rear as planned."

"Copy that."

Web looked at Jack worried.

"What are we going to do," he whispered, clearly as spooked as Chris had been.

"We're going to do as we planned. It was probably nothing."

Web nodded but wasn't certain. They waited for Marks signal with baited breath; eager to get this over with and get to the chopper waiting for them.

The sound of static blared in their ears again.

"Motion one complete."

Michael and Scott arrived with Jack and Web. Out of breath Michael asked, "where the hell are they?"

"They're coming! They have father to go remember," Scott snapped, clearly shaken by the sighting.

Gun shots erupted in the darkness from the compound. Jack paled as he grabbed his radio and gun.

"Chris come in?"

Scott was calling for Mark but his radio too remained dead.

The three pairs of eyes all focused on Jack as he grabbed his ammo with a worried look on his face.

"I'm going to get them. Web you cover me. You two go back and secure the perimeter again. We're not leaving without them."

Jack took of running back over the path they had completed, the large stone building could still be seen. The branches whipped as his face as he slipped over the mud, a chill running through him as the gunfire stopped and the wind could be herd again. Something was very wrong here and he was going to find out what.

Jumping over a log sticking up from the dirt Jack skidded down a slight embankment before tripping over a rock. He landed in the dirt hard and cursed at the top of his lungs. Web pulled him up quickly, also frustrated.

"Jack we're in the perimeter we need to stay silent," he urged.

"They already know were here," he snapped as he moved on at a more cautious pace. He could make out the windows of the building, none lit. He ducked under a low branch before hoping over a low stone wall which separated the wild brush from the stone concrete which surrounded the house as a pathway.

"Jack… the bomb," Web whispered, grabbing him again.

"Call Walsh," he ordered before moving on again.

He circled around the building, his eyes straining to look for hostiles. Where did the gunfire come from? Why hadn't the men radioed in? Something was wrong. Were they really expecting them? He made it to rear of the building, climbing a few steps he hopped over another wall so he was in the bunker area. He knew Michael and Scott would be at the other end, searching as he was.

He felt his anger rise inside him; they were supposed to be on there way to the extraction site now. How could this so go wrong? He wasn't even supposed to step inside Drazens land; he was right in the thick of it now; hoping to find answers; praying to find his men.

"Jack?" A hushed whisper filtered its way into Jack ear as he crouched down behind the wall to concentrate.

"I got two fuing snipers in the trees!"

"What!" He snapped, worried and generally shocked.

"I swear to God Jack, I'm on the North side of the compound, I can see them clearly."

"Okay," he muttered, thinking quickly of what to do. If they took them out they would run the risk of alerting others of there presence. But if they didn't…

"Bauer," another voice hissed, Jacks head was spinning.

"Its Web - I can't get through to Walsh or anybody. The second channels blocked!"

Jack tried it, all he got was static.

"God damn it!"

This was wrong. Marks assumption, snipers, and now this? It was too much of a coincidence to not be a set up.

"Scott, take out the snipers. Then I want all three of you to get back to the extraction point as soon as possible."

"What about you," Web hissed, "this thing could blow any second!"

"I'm going to find the rest of our team," he snapped, getting up and cocking his gun.


	5. Chapter 5

Jack jumped back over the wall and ran through the brush which covered the pathway. He ran around the large bunker which was situated directly behind the compound styled house. He was careful to stay low, now thankful for the obstructed pathway and terrible weather conditions which were covering any noise he could make, and keeping him out of sight.

His eyes continued to scan the trees scattered around, looking for more hostiles. He didn't hear the gun shots killing the snipers but he knew they would have been taken care of now; so anybody else could very well be aware of there presence. Hell, he thought, what did that matter if they had known of there arrival from the very start? Something suspicious was going on, but right now he knew he had to concentrate on getting his men and himself out of there.

Stepping down a small embankment leading onto the grounds once more Jack sprinted over the open land and hid in more bushes. He knew this was the route Mark and Chris would have taken. Looking out at the land he saw a small wooden gate closing off some sort of designed archway on the house. Once over that he would be out of the rain, it was some sort of covered barn type yard. Edging closer Jack could make out the big beams crisscrossing across the back wall and roof in some exaggerated design.

Taking a chance Jack climbed over the fence and stood inside the opened area, surrounded by four old stone walls. He circled around looking up, the upper floor of the house ran over the yard, it was completely covered with the beams. This was some style of courtyard, he thought. He decided that he would look for his men before the bomb, and so he climbed back over the fence into the grounds. Scowling he realised neither of his men were there, they must have circled back on themselves in the opposite direction, otherwise he would have come across them by now.

Moving over the path Jack moved slowly, knowing the path circled back onto itself scared him, if they weren't here, where were they? Crouching to avoid another low slung branch Jack tripped on one of the cobbled stones and fell into the dense bushes. Grunting as he itched his hand from a nettle bite he looked down at the mess he had made in the foliage, he was leaving a clear path of sign.

Scratching his hand and wiping the front of the goggles again something caught Jacks eye. He was just on the edge of the tree line, but the object which caught his attention was a few feet deeper, completely absorbed by the wildlife. Crawling on his hands and knees Jack pulled himself through the tangled branches and leaves until he got closer to the object.

There was a small radio laid on the dirt ground, a small green light flashing. Jacks breath caught in his throat, he recognised it as belong to Chris immediately. He nervously picked it up and pocketed the device before looking around for intruders again; a shoe catching his attention this time.

It was just to his left, Jack reached it in no time. He saw the body it belonged to just a few yards away from it. Chris' prone form laid out on the mud, crushing the plants he had been dumped upon. Closing his eyes Jack crouched down, checking a pulse despite the stricken open eyes staring back at him with emptiness. Taking a deep breath he closed the mans eyes, struggling to stay calm as overwhelming sensations of rage, betrayal and guilt swept over him. He sat still for a moment clenching his fist as he tried to control himself, knowing he had to move, the compound could blow - he had to find Mark first.

Taking a deep breath Jack holstered his weapon before grabbing Chris under the armpits and carefully dragging him back to the pathway. It was a struggle but he managed the drag the dead both back out into the open land where he could carry him back to the others. Hoisting Chris over his shoulder Jack set off back around the path which would lead him to the grounds. The body was heavy but he wasn't leaving him behind. Thinking ahead he realised he would have to take Chris to the extraction point and then come back again - it would take time, too much if he wanted to find Mark before it was too late.

His radio buzzed again and he was relieved to hear Web, he hadn't been spotted or killed.

"Jack its Web, I'm coming up behind you okay."

"Son of a bitch," Jack muttered, knowing full well Web had ignored his orders to get back to the evacuation point.

Jack turned laying Chris carefully down on the ground. Web almost balked at the sight but managed to stay calm, both men trying ot detach themselves from the shock and pain of the body until they were safe.

"Where are the others?"

"They are on there way back to the extraction point, trying to make sure the route is secure for us."

Jack nodded. Only Web had directly ignored a command, but he should have expected it, knowing he would have done the same thing himself.

"I want you to take Chris to the chopper, and wait there. If I don't come back when the chopper takes off, you leave without me."

"Jack-"

"Do it Web, please."

Web stared at him and saw the sincerity in his eyes. He nodded, knowing Jack couldn't be swayed.

Jack turned around to head off back to the compound, Web realised it and quickly sprinted after him.

"Jack!"

"Damm it Web," he roared frustrated.

"Its going to blow Jack, the whole perimeter - we gotta get Drazen remember! You can't go in!"

Jack looked at him colds stare. "Just watch me," he said before turning and jogging back towards the building, still a few feet away from the grounds.

The explosion was huge, knocking Web several feet backwards he landed on the hard mud getting a face full of mud. He could hear the destruction as the building crumbled, then the secondary explosion as the bunker went up; followed by a third shortly afterwards. Closing his eyes he realised they wouldn't get Mark back. Sitting up in pain he looked around but couldn't see Jack. All he could remember was the image of him running towards the grounds, a good few feet in front of him. He was still a safe way away from the primary explosions, but if the blast caught him, it had surely caught Jack too.

"Shit," he gasped, checking Chris was where they had left him before staggering to his feet. Jack had ran straight towards the explosion.

"Jack!" He yelled, disregarding any form of staying covert. It didn't matter what happened to him, the building had blown the mission was over. He wasn't leaving alone with Chris.

"Jack!" He yelled again running towards the wreckage in a panic.


	6. Chapter 6

Web found Jack just inside the grounds, laid on his side tugging at his leg cursing loudly in between bouts of haggard coughs. One of the walls had tumbled over from the impact, it looked as though the blast had sent Jack reeling into the crumbling mess and one of his legs was trapped under the small pile of brick. Announcing his presence Web ran over and quickly began pushing the concrete away as Jack had been, not looking out for any hostiles; they would be shocked by the bomb and looking for survivors inside the destruction barely a hundred yards away.

Once free Web helped Jack up, pulling his arm around his neck to help him stand, his leg was injured; he didn't know how badly and now wasn't the time to examine it.

"Come on," Web urged angrily when Jack didn't move with him; instead he was trying to move towards the heaps of rubble; shouts and screams were coming from the chaos; Web could smell smoke too.

"I need to find Mark," he snapped, looking into the distance of the mess through the goggles, breathing heavily through his anger.

"We need to leave before this mission is totally compromised," Web snapped back angrily, trying to move again, but Jack wouldn't be budged.

"I lost two men," Jack roared, pushing Web away, "we got caught up in our own blast and we can't contact our God damn rescue team! Tell me how this can get any worse," he yelled, throwing his hands up in the air in frustration.

He could see how Web flinched when he shouted, if they could hear shouts the shouters could hear them. He was nervous of being caught of killed. Jack signed, feeling even worse about this situation they were trapped in as he ran his hands through his hair. He ignored the sharp jagged throb in his leg as he put all weight onto it; unwilling to submit to the pain.

"I'm sorry," he said, quieter, "you go; but I can't leave Mark here."

"Jack Mark is dead. He wouldn't want us all to die because of him, and neither would Chris. We need to leave now, Michael and Scott are waiting for us. We're putting them in danger too."

Sighing Jack nodded, glad for the terrible conditions and equipment they were wearing; the man wouldn't see his watering eyes.

"Okay… but I'm not leaving Chris."

Web nodded, relieved; they had to leave soon or they would be caught, the voices from earlier were slowing down - the initial shock had worn off - now they would be wanting retaliation. Running over to Chris' body Web threw him over his shoulder and began to move South to the extraction point, Jack keeping up with him, limping on the leg but not letting it show. Web knew better than to question him, they needed to get out of there.

Both men slowed there run down to a jog as they entered the thick woods again, although it would slow them down it would also provide cover. The once hard mud was now slippery and soft, there feet sinking into it with each step, causing them to stumble up and down the sloping land. Jack tried to get through to Walsh on the second channel on the radio. Still static, Jack threw his radio at one of the trees in anger, knowing he shouldn't leave anything behind but not caring. He was leaving a man behind; what was a piece of equipment?

This was the route the men would have taken; one they were originally planned to take together. He could make out sloppy boot prints in the mud where the brush was sparse. He felt relieved knowing they were his men's footprints - two sets - they would be safe by the choppers landing point.

The rain started to fall harder and so Jack ripped the goggles from his head tossing them on the ground, his own eyes were better in the darkness than the smeared vision they were giving him. Web did the same when they stopped for a minutes rest as Jack checked there location on the PDA, they were on the right track. They pulled themselves back into standing positions, Jack brushing his sopping wet hair back away from his head as he helped Web pick Chris up, both carrying the man together. Webs radio burst alive just as they set off again, it was Scott.

"Web!" The voice yelled, border lining on hysterical.

"I'm here talk to me," he said, his heart pounding in his chest. Oh God please, not another complication…

"Where's Jack his radio isn't answering me, is he okay?"

"He's fine, he lost his radio - what's up?" He could hear the panic and pain in the mans voice, if he hadn't been soaked through his worried sweat would have been visible.

"I'm hit, Michaels down," he yelled, trying to make himself herd over the wind. Jack sensed the sound of detachment in his voice, it was cold and hard - he was in survival mode.

Was Michael dead? Web didn't dare ask. "Where are you now?"

"I'm.. I'm about one click from the evac. point. I took one of the men out a few kilometres back, when I lost Michael. I was chased, there were two left, I ran to lure them away from Michael," he gasped, "one of their shots hit me - they left after, circling back."

Jack and Web looked at each other, these men could be anywhere.

"Try get to the chopper Scott, keep moving all right?"

Scott nodded, not having the strength to talk anymore, before rolling over and stumbling back to his feet. Jack was looking at the ground. He finally spoke, his voice quiet and distant as Scott's had been.

"You need to get Chris to the chopper, I'm looking for Michael."

"What! No way Jack - Mike could be anywhere Jack, and think about this - two men are out there somewhere, maybe more - I can't face them alone with Chris to take back too."

"Fine," Jack snapped, grabbing Chris again with Web as they moved onwards. Jack didn't voice his intentions to go back to find Michael and Mark once Web and Scott were safely back in the chopper. 'Never leave a man behind,' he thought to himself, he wasn't leaving without all 5 of his men. Even if that meant he would be leaving in a body bag himself. He would leave nobody behind.


	7. Chapter 7

Jack and Web hurried on to the extraction point, Jack covering Web who was hauling Chris through the woods. The trees thinned out and Jack felt blissful relief when he could make out the figure of Scott laid on the ground. The chopper could be herd, getting louder and louder. Turning to grin at Web Jack took off running towards Scott as fast as he could; the chopper was getting larger as it came closer; at least he could save some of his men.

He stumbled to his knees as he reached his friend, calling out to him Jack quickly turned him over when Scott didn't reply. Frowning Jack saw his pale face and closed eyes. He told himself the man was unconscious as he looked for the wound. Finding the shoulder wound Jack put as much pressure as he could on it, urging the man to wake. "Come on Scott," he whispered desperately, finally checking for a pulse. "No, no.. no Scott no!" He yelled, knowing his friend was dead but not being able to accept it.

Fear and pain filled him as he grabbed at the body pulling it to him, agony invading his senses as he watched the chopper land just a few feet away. Web was pulling Chris along, defeat on his face, he knew Scott was dead, he could see the truth in Jacks twisted face as he begged for his friend to wake up. But he didn't, he was gone.

The small team jumped from the chopper ducking low as they climbed down to Jack, trying to clarify his identity, but Jack wasn't listening. Web watched as one man took Chris' body from him. His arms suddenly felt light, he wanted Chris back in his arms, he didn't want to leave with his friend in body bags. He climbed up to Jack mournfully, Walsh was trying to talk to him, angry and shocked at what had happened.

"They're all dead," Web stated, looking Walsh in the eye, Jack was still kneeling by Scott.

"Come on Jack we need to go," Walsh ordered, Jack seemingly complied, standing up and running a hand over his face.

He looked out over the land through the realising the rain had stopped. Turning to look at Web Walsh saw the look on his face. "Don't," he said, but before he could finish Jack had taken off running back down the slope towards the woods they had just come from; he wasn't leaving without his men.

"Jack!" Web yelled, running after him with Walsh behind him. He ran over the open land squinting through the remains of the night with his gun in his hand. Furious he couldn't find his targets he cocked his gun and began shooting wildly in the direction of the trees, praying he would hit a target.

Arms were pulling him back and he was soon on the ground, Web pinning him down as Walsh took his weapon and tried to calm him. It didn't matter, he was furious and in shock, clearly traumatised from what he had seen.

The two men hauled him up, Jack finding his footing and walking back to the chopper alone, a few feet ahead feeling drained and weak. How could he let the mission come to this? How could he lose control? He wasn't fit to be a leader, he didn't deserve to serve his country.

A sudden explosion ripped through the air, knocking Jack to his feet. He looked around on the ground dazed, his ears ringing, unable to hear Walsh's shouts as he tried to locate Jack. Jack was disorientated, what the hell had just happened? Walsh pulled him up, both covered in mud, Jack looked around wildly at the fireball's smoke rising up into the air, Richards yell was starting to be herd in his senses.

"They planted mines," Walsh roared hoping Jack could hear him and would be careful, there could be more anywhere.

He knew Jack had herd him, his face changed, looking out into the smoke as panic overtook his features.

"Where's Web," he demanded, shaking in shock and utter disbelief as he began to piece together what had happened.

Walsh didn't answer, instead he grabbed Jacks arms and tried to pull him towards the chopper when he saw the distant look over come him. The other men were helping him, pulling him away as he yelled and fought to be let free; he didn't want to leave here; not as the only man alive.

The men dragged him into the chopper, one securing his belt as the others held him in place on the floor. Chris' body lay on the floor next to him, Walsh shouted for it to be covered immediately, Jack was in no state to be staring at his dead comrade the entire journey home.

Jack could see the land below him as the chopper took off, hovering higher and higher his sobs got heavier; he couldn't hold it all together, he felt like he'd been broken apart piece by piece. Walsh sedated him, forcing the pill into his mouth before ordering that Jack washed it down. Jack tried to move his head away but he was exhausted and still functioning as an empty shell. It was the promise that he would wake up to see his family which made him swallow the water, washing the pill down. He drowsed for a while as Walsh spoke to him, trying to offer comfort and reassurance, something had gone badly wrong on this mission before Jack and his men even arrived.

Jack drifted away as the clouds blocked out the destruction they were leaving behind. His thoughts rolled back and forth of his men and his family. How could he see them now, knowing he had led five eager and trusting men to their deaths? How could he tell Anna he had killed her husband Web, the father of her children? Why was he spared? He drifted away as his body continued to tremble in shock, knowing he didn't deserve his family or the air he was breathing. He closed his eyes a final time knowing he could never be the same again; he had left his men; he had no honour, he had lost everything.

THE END!

Not the best thing I've written but please review anyway!


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